VOA标准英语2010年-Heart Pump Could Save Possibly Million

The World Health Organization says heart disease kills about 17 million people every year and that it will become the leading cause of death in developing countries. But now, there is some hope. A new device is being marketed that could save countless¹ lives.

Seventy-eight-year-old Richard Stowe has a mechanical pump inside his chest that keeps blood flowing throughout his body. The only evidence is a battery pack and a power line on his side.  "The two batteries are feeding power to the controller and then to my chest," he said. "There is no feeling. It just feels very normal like I had no pump."

Stowe is at the forefront of a revolution in the way heart patients are being cared for.

Dr. Leslie Miller² at Washington Hospital Center is involved in clinical trials of heart pumps, including this one that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved as a device that can permanently³ replace the heart for patients who are too old to be considered for a heart transplant.

"Heart failure really begins to increase over the age of 60 when the chances of heart transplantation diminish, so this is going to be a major therapeutic⁴ option for a great many patients in the future," Dr. Miller said.

Heart pumps were initially⁵ considered a stopgap measure...until a donor⁶ heart became available. But the newest pumps are small. They are attached directly to the heart and connected to a battery outside the body.

"These cables would hook up, and this would power it.  And this would sit on your belt. So it would sit like this and there would be batteries that you could either put in a fanny pack or there are all kinds of jackets you could wear in order to support the batteries," Dr. Miller explained.

In cases of severe heart disease only eight percent of patients can survive two years.  But in a study involving the HeartMate II pump, 58 percent of patients survived that long.

Stowe recalls how little he could do before getting a heart pump. "Very debilitating⁷, 25 to 30 feet at maximum would be the distance I could walk without needing a rest," he said.

"Changing people from a very limited functional⁸ capacity is one of the greatest parts of this technology," Dr. Miller said.

Heart pumps are not just for the elderly. They are being used by teenagers and even babies whose hearts have been damaged by viruses. Researchers are now looking at these mechanical pumps as a way to let the heart rest and recover.

As for cost, Dr. Miller says patients with a heart pump spend less time in a hospital and have lower hospital costs than patients with severe heart disease.

1 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

2 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

5 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

6 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

7 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

8 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。